Case Study: Koe No Katachi
by amosclw
Summary: My name is Dr Gentaro Kenzaki. I am a youth psychiatrist and thus, my job is to help youths to solve problems and finally become mature and cheerful adults. But in all my years of helping youths of various kinds, there was a case where it involves not just one individual but a group. Though different, all of them are connected in some way. I call this case, "Koe no Katachi".
1. Chapter 1

17/9/2016 0930 hours

Location: Dr Gentaro Kenzaki's office.

It was a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon. I was just arranging some of my paperwork before i could finally meet my new patient. Now, i had many before him. But, little did i know that his case will not just involve him but also involve a group of people. I call this case study "Koe no Katachi" (Eng Transl: A Silent Voice)

I was giving my arranged paperwork a final look over before my patient finally arrived while listening to the sound of my wall clock. Then, finally he arrived. He was a young man. He looked like he was a high school student.

Gentaro: Hello, there. Ahhh, so you have finally came and right on time. Mr ... ?

Unknown man: Ishida, Mr Shoya Ishida.

Gentaro: Right, Mr Ishida. How old are you ? 14,15 ?

Shoya: I am currently 17 years of age.

Genatro: Ah, i see. So, i'm surprised that you came here to my office on such short notice.

Shoya: Well, i did receive a notice in my locker saying that if i needed help then this is the perfect place and you are the perfect person to come to.

Gentaro: You assume correctly. Tell me, Mr Ishida. Please have a seat and lie down.

Mr Ishida sitting on a chaise lounge in front of me. His head lying down on the bigger part.

Gentaro: Shall i get you any drinks before we start ? Soda ? Bottled water ?

Shoya: No thanks. I'm good.

Gentaro: Ya sure ?

Mr Ishida nodded his head.

Gentaro: Alright then. Tell me what's on your mind, right now ?

Shoya: Well, i came here hoping that i could seek some help.

Genataro: If you came here seeking some form of help, then you must have some problems.

Shoya: *sigh* Truth be told, i came so i could get some form of guidance to redeem myself.

Gentaro: Redeem yourself ? You mean you have done bad things before ? Well, i cannot judge a book by it's cover. I have seen many criminals have paid their debt to society so i expect young people like you to do the same. So could you be more specific with your crimes ?

Shoya: Well, it's about a girl ?

Gentaro: Ohh, so your problem involves a girl ?

Shoya: Yes, i did something horrible to her.

Gentaro: I see. Maybe if you explain to me the whole story, i can help solve your problem.

Shoya: I don't know how to start. Where should i begin to explain ?

Genataro: Uhhhhh ? The part where it felt like the "beginning" ?

Shoya: *takes a deep breath*. All right, here it goes.

*flashback sequence* (From Shoya's POV)

 _This problem dates back and i do mean "way back" since i was in elementary school ?_

Gentaro: Wait, you have this problem back in elementary school. If so, how long have you been having this problem ?

Shoya: As long as i can remember.

Gentaro: Ahhh, i see. Please continue.

Shoya: Okay, then.

 _So, i was once a normal elementary school student. An average boy who has a lot of friends. I was doing whatever i was doing like every single day. And then, one day. "She" appeared._

Gentaro: "She" ? She who ?

 _A new girl came to my class. At first, she was an ordinary girl. But, it turns out she had a "major" problem._

Gentaro: Problem ? What sort of problem ?

 _Ya see. She is deaf. She had a notebook which she uses for written communication. Ever since her first day, she had been slowly bur surely frustrating my entire class. Whenever she did try to speak, her speaking language is on par of a broken robot. Everyday, she was ignored or made fun of by my entire class._

Gentaro: I see. Then, how about you ? Did you try to befriend her ?

 _*sigh* Well, she did. Once. When she offered her hand in friendship for me, i outright rejected it. No, even worse. I threw dust in her face._

Genataro: HUH ?! You did ?! Why ?

 _I, i, i don't know. Due to her personality, i was kind of you know. Thought of her as,... disgusting._

Gentaro: Huh ?! Disgusting ?! Just because she is deaf, doesn't give anyone the right to call her disgusting. Not even you.

 _I know, i know. Actually, i didn't know that since i was young at that time. It didn't help that after a few days, my class received a special education teacher so we can learn sign language to understand her better. But sadly, only a few of us are willing to take the lessons seriously._

Gentaro: Mr Shoya. It seems that you are becoming more stressed out as you are continuing the story. I think that it's wise that you MUST state what your class did to this girl.

 _*sigh* Yes, of course. Over the course of the many weeks she had been with my class, my class, no, the correct term is i bullied her relentlessly. I made fun of her by mimicking her speaking pattern just for fun, i wrote nasty messages on my class whiteboard that say that everything is her fault, i "playfully" screamed in her ear even though she cannot hear well. Even at times, when she was actually using hearing aids, i threw them away. I bullied the girl relentlessly. And then, one day. I did something. An action which proved to be the very final straw that broke her "back"._

Gentaro: What did you do ?

Mr Ishida seemed hesitant to answer.

Gentaro: TELL ME, MR ISHIDA ! WHAT DID YOU DO !?

 _I, i, *breathing heavily at an unnaturally fast pace* During one of the times when she was wearing hearing aids, i pulled both of them sharply which caused her ears to bleed._

Gentaro: And, even after i did, you still did not realize and DID NOT STOP ?! What the heck, man ?

 _When, i won't say my reasons are justified, but every time i bullied her, she would apologize like she was wrong and she did it with a smile. I don't know why but the only thing i know is that every time she smiled at me, i felt my blood boiling as if it was compelling me to hurt her._

Gentaro: *calms down* I see, then. So, seeing are you are here, tell me what changed ? What made you realize that what you are doing is very, very, VERY, wrong ?

 _That was the fateful day. The day in my elementary school life when karma made my whole world crashing down. One day, the girl was absent. our school principal told us it was because her mother was worried that she might be bullied and her hearing aids, which i found out at the time were very expensive, are damaged within a few months. That realization shocked me to the core and thus, i wanted to speak up about my crimes. My whole class accused me of being the one relentlessly bullied her_. _While that is true, i was still shocked since they accused as being the only bully._

Gentaro: I see. Can you still remember the names of the people who accused you ?

Mr Ishida seemed to be getting more and more agitated.

 _Yes. Kazuki Shimada, Keisuke Hirose, Naoka Ueno and my class' representative, Miki Kawai. They also bullied her and they accused me of being the only one ! Don't you see, Dr Kenzaki ? To save their own skins, they betrayed me. They betrayed me. They betrayed me. THEY BETRAYED ME ! THEY BETRAYED ME ! THEY BETRAYED ME ! THEY BETRAYED ME !_

Gentaro: Okay, Mr Ishida. Okay. That is enough ! You can stop telling me now. Wake at the sound.

 _AHHHHHHHHHH!_

*flashback sequence ends*

Gentaro: *sighs in relief* So, Mr Ishida. Are you feeling better ?

Shoya: *groan* My head feels like it exploded and it feels like a sledge hammer is rammed into my chest.

Gentaro: Yes, well sometimes, the cost of reliving painful memories is high.

Shoya: Looking back on it now. My actions on what i did to the girl make me want to vomit. The sad reality is she was never seen again. She eventually transferred to another school and that was the last i've seen of her.

Gentaro: I see. So you felt extreme regret from what you did and thus, you have felt this sadness for many years. Right ?

Shoya: Yes, sir.

Gentaro: Sir. Come on, we are friends here. This office is a safe place.

Shoya: Huh, friends ? I have lost the ability to make friends a long time ago.

Judging from him, i could tell that he is suffering from many years' worth of self-loathing and suicidal thoughts. But, it looks like my schedule is up.

Gentaro: I'm sorry to say but it looks like our time here is up.

Shoya: What ?

Gentaro: Hey, i have to be considerate. I am a public psychiatrist who has to help other as well. Don't worry, our session is confidential and i won't disclose our session to anyone. I assure you. Also, i will let you know when do i call you for our next session so let's exchange phone numbers.

Shoya: Okay, cool. Very well, then.

Gentaro: So, how about i see you next week ? Will that be fine ?

Shoya: Very well, doctor.

Just as he was about to leave,

Gentaro: Oh yeah, before you go, Mr Ishida. Just out of mere curiosity, what is the girl's name ?

Shoya: *sigh* Shoko Nishimiya. Why do you ask ?

Gentaro: No reason. Like i said, just curious. That's all.

After Mr Ishida had left my office, i begun to go into deep thought.

This Ishida guy really is a tragic guy. He was once a remorseless bully but now he suffered greatly throughout these years due to the guilt of bullying an innocent girl and betrayed by his friends. Hmmm, maybe it's time to make a meeting with this Nishimiya girl.


	2. Chapter 2

19/9/2016 1400 hours

Location: Dr Gentaro Kenzaki's office

It has been two days after my meeting with the man named Shoya Ishida. It was a bright and cloudy afternoon. I am now giving a final look over of my documents before i meet up my next patient.

Then, after five minutes, finally she arrived. She was a young woman. She looked like she was a high school student. A cute one as well.

Gentaro: Hello there. Ahhh, so you have finally come and right on time. Ms ... ?

Unknown woman was making some sort of strange hand gestures. I could hardly understand what she said.

Gentaro: Uhhhh, ms ? Why are you making those "jazz hands" ?

Then, it hit me.

Gentaro: Could it be that are you deaf ?

The unknown woman nodded.

Gentaro: Ohh, i. I am so sorry.

The unknown woman smiled at me. I was a bit embarrassed about her sensitive trait. Then, i spotted my own notebook.

Gentaro: Uhhh, ms ? Can you write ?

I asked while showing my notebook and pen. She nodded her head. Thank goodness. I offered her a spare version of my notebook and a pen.

Gentaro: Okay, i'm truly sorry that we got off the wrong foot. So, let's try this again. What is your name ?

The unknown woman started to write and showed me what she written.

Unknown woman: My name is Shoko Nishimiya.

Gentaro: I see, so that's your name.

Then it hit me.

*flashback*

 _Gentaro: Oh yeah, before you go, Mr Ishida. Just out of mere curiosity, what is the girl's name ?_

 _Shoya: *sigh* Shoko Nishimiya. Why do you ask ?_

 _Gentaro: No reason. Like i said, just curious. That's all._

*flashback ends*

So this girl must be Shoko Nishimiya.

Gentaro: So, tell me. Ms Nishimiya. How old are you ? 14,15

Shoko: I'm 17 years of age.

Genatro: Ah, i see. So, i'm surprised that you came here to my office on such short notice.

Shoko: Well, i did receive a notice in my locker saying that if i needed help then this is the perfect place and you are the perfect person to come to.

Gentaro: You assume correctly. Tell me, Ms Nishimiya. Please have a seat and lie down.

Mr Ishida sitting on a chaise lounge in front of me. Her head lying down on the bigger part.

Gentaro: Shall i get you any drinks before we start ? Soda ? Bottled water ?

Ms Nishimiya waved her head to signal "no".

Gentaro: Ya sure ?

Ms Nishimiya nodded her head.

Genataro: If you came here seeking some form of help, then you must have some problems.

Ms Nishimiya seemed to be hesitant in writing before continuing.

Shoko: Truth be told, i came so i could get some form of guidance to redeem myself.

Gentaro: Redeem yourself ? You mean you have done bad things before ? I can't imagine a sweet looking girl like you doing anything wrong. But then again, who am i to judge a book by it's cover ? I have seen many criminals have paid their debt to society so i expect young people like you to do the same. So could you be more specific with your "crimes" ?

Shoko: Well, it's about a boy ?

Gentaro: Ohh, so your problem involves a boy ?

Shoko: Yes, i did something horrible to him.

Gentaro: I see. Maybe if you explain to me the whole story, i can help solve your problem.

Ms Nishimiya seemed to be confused as if telling me that she didn't know where to start.

Gentaro: Uhhhhh ? How about this ? Why not, start writing at the part where it felt like the "beginning" ?

Ms Nishimiya seemed to nod her head and started writing .

*flashback sequence* (From Shoko's POV)

 _Well, for as long as i remember, i was always deaf. I don't know who my father was. All i've heard about him is that he divorced my mom after they both learnt that i was deaf. So throughout my life there was only me, my mom, my younger sister and my grandma._

Gentaro: I see, then. Go on.

 _It was only in elementary school where i saw how defenseless i really am. You see, when i became a new student, i introduced my self via my own methods. I used a notebook for communicating others by writing what i am supposed to say. All of my classmates know about my deafness but they never understood my plight._

Gentaro: Oh, they knew but never understood. How so ?

 _Well, to put it in a way, they made fun of my deafness. All of my elementary schoolmates are relentless in making fun of me in any way possible. But, if memory serves right. There is one boy whose bullying towards me stood highest amongst the others._

Gentaro: Really, what's his name ?

I had a "sinking" feeling that i somehow knew this boy.

 _His name was Shoya Ishida._

Called it.

Gentaro: Ms Nishimiya, would you mind describing the actions of this boy and what did he do to you ? That is, if you don't mind.

 _*shook her head* No, no. I'm fine. Really. *takes a deep breath* I'm good. I'm good. He keeps denouncing me by calling me "disgusting", he keeps destroying my notebook just for fun and he keeps destroying my hearing aids. Once, he even pulled off the ones that i was still wearing._

Gentaro: *cringes* Ouch, that has gotta hurt.

 _*Nodded her head* Oh yes, it did._

 _After that, i had no choice but to transfer schools. I don't know what happened to him._

*flashback sequence ends*

Gentaro: Well, do you feel better now ?

Shoko: Yes, i feel a bit better.

Gentaro: Come on, Ms Nishimiya. Be honest with me. This is a safe place after all.

Ms Nishimiya seemed to be hesitant in writing before continuing.

Shoko: *Sigh* Well, not really. I don't know what happened to him right now. I just hope that he is happy in whatever life he is in right now.

Thinking back on my previous session with Mr Ishida, i am too scared to say that she is wrong.

*flashback*

 _Ishida:_

 _That was the fateful day. The day in my elementary school life when karma made my whole world crashing down. One day, the girl was absent. our school principal told us it was because her mother was worried that she might be bullied and her hearing aids, which i found out at the time were very expensive, are damaged within a few months. That realization shocked me to the core and thus, i wanted to speak up about my crimes. My whole class accused me of being the one relentlessly bullied her. While that is true, i was still shocked since they accused as being the only bully._

 _Gentaro: I see. Can you still remember the names of the people who accused you ?_

 _Mr Ishida seemed to be getting more and more agitated._

 _Yes. Kazuki Shimada, Keisuke Hirose, Naoka Ueno and my class' representative, Miki Kawai. They also bullied her and they accused me of being the only one ! Don't you see, Dr Kenzaki ? To save their own skins, they betrayed me. They betrayed me. They betrayed me. THEY BETRAYED ME ! THEY BETRAYED ME ! THEY BETRAYED ME ! THEY BETRAYED ME !_

 _Gentaro: Okay, Mr Ishida. Okay. That is enough ! You can stop telling me now. Wake at the sound._

 _AHHHHHHHHHH!_

 _Shoya: Looking back on it now. My actions on what i did to the girl make me want to vomit. The sad reality is she was never seen again. She eventually transferred to another school and that was the last i've seen of her._

 _Gentaro: I see. So you felt extreme regret from what you did and thus, you have felt this sadness for many years. Right ?_

 _Shoya: Yes, sir._

 _Shoya: Huh, friends ? I have lost the ability to make friends a long time ago._

 _Judging from him, i could tell that he is suffering from many years' worth of self-loathing and suicidal thoughts. But, it looks like my schedule is up._

 _*_ flashback ends*

Gentaro: I'm sorry to say but it looks like our time here is up.

Ms Nishimiya looked bewildered and absolutely puzzled at that statement.

Gentaro: Hey, i have to be considerate. I am a public psychiatrist who has to help other as well. Don't worry, our session is confidential and i won't disclose our session to anyone. I assure you. Also, i will let you know when do i call you for our next session so let's exchange phone numbers.

She then nodded her head to show that she understood and thus, both of us exchanged phone numbers.

Gentaro: So, how about i see you next week ? Will that be fine ?

She then smiled and nodded her head to show that she agreed.

After Ms Nishimiya had left my office, i begun to go into deep thought.

This Nishimiya girl really is a tragic girl. She was once a victim of bullying at such a young age due to her handicap. Judging from the ways her actions expressed as she explained the entire story of her problems. It appears that she still carry the scars received from Mr Ishida's acts of bullying. A pity indeed that she doesn't know that her former tormentor is also experiencing pain and sadness as well.

Well, i'll just have to wait until next week. For each of their sessions with me.

*Sigh* I just hope that in time, with my advice and guidance, both of them will finally gain happiness and move past the sadness that had been plaguing their hearts for so long.


End file.
